When We Were Young
by allie2696
Summary: Korra and Mako separately tell their children a story from when they are kids. Makorra.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: the format might be a little confusing (hopefully it's not but just in case) I'll explain it. the first and last page parts are future Mako and Korra as parents while the rest are their separate stories that they are telling their kids. In the story parts every page break is the other's story/ point of view. like it will be Mako story, then korra's story, and then back to Mako's, etc._

_single line break means "story-story" doubly line break means "future- story" or "story-future"_

_oh and my headcanon is that Mako, as a kid, was a lot like Meelo until his parents died and he had to basically grow up._

* * *

"It's time for bed, Sweetie." Mako told his daughter as he guided them through the hallway to her room.

"But Daddy, I'm not tired." She whined.

"Kari, it is almost eight o'clock. We let you stay up long enough and now it's bedtime. Your sister is going to bed too. Get into your bed." He reprimanded as she plopped herself onto her bed, sitting with her arms crossed in defiance. "You are almost as stubborn as your mother." He whispered to himself.

"Yeah but I'm _two_ years older than her. I'm nine and she's seven. I should go to bed later than her. I'm not tired." She yawned.

"Yes, you are tired, sweetie, you are yawning. You and your sister have the same bedtime, just because you are older doesn't change that. When she is your age she will have the same bedtime. You are still young. As you get older your mother and I will raise your bedtime, okay. But for now, your bedtime is at eight o'clock, so lay down."

She reluctantly laid down. Mako pulled the blankets over the child.

She closed her bright amber eyes. "I can't wait until I'm old enough to stay up late." She said softly.

"Don't rush it, sweetie." He said as he kissed his daughter on her forehead.

He turned around to leave the room. He was just about to turn off the light when Kari called out to him, he stopped.

"Daddy,"

"Yes, sweetie?" He replied.

"Can you at least tell me a story before I fall asleep?" She asked.

He turned around and smiled. "Yes of course." He sat down on the edge of her bed. She turned on her side facing her father. "So, what story do you want to hear?"

"Can you tell me a story about you with Grandma and Grandpa?"

Mako was surprised that his daughter wanted to know about his parents. He hadn't really talked about them that much to his children. They were too young, he though they wouldn't fully understand. All they knew was that they died when Mako was very young. Mako smiled at the thought that Kira was interested in them, in her grandparents.

"Sure, Sweetie." He paused, thinking about what story to tell. "Oh I know. How about a story of our first vacation?" Kari nodded in delight. "Okay just give me a minute to remember." He paused regaining his thoughts. "So, I was about five years old. Your uncle Bolin was three years old at the time. We didn't have much growing up. Both of my parents worked a lot to keep up with the bills. It was hard for non-benders, at the time, to find a job, but we managed to get by…"

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy!" The little boy yelled while holding a piece of paper in his hand as he ran into the kitchen of their one story apartment in the Dragon Flats District.

She sat there at the kitchen table feeding his little brother while his father sat next to her reading the newspaper.

"What is it, Mako?" She asked.

"I drew you and daddy a picture." He handed the woman the piece of paper in his hands.

She looked at the picture. It was poorly drawn but well for a five year old. It showed a white island outlined with blue crayon surrounded by snowflakes. Some blue scribbles were on the island. She looked at her son who was full of excitement and accomplishment. She was confused, trying to decipher what the picture depicted, but she smiled at the boy and thanked him for the picture he drew.

"It's the south pole, Mommy." He said with enthusiasm.

"I can see that, Mako." She lied.

"It's really cool in the south pole. It's cold, they have people there that can bend just like me but with water, and it snows all the time."

"How do you know all of this, Mako?" she said, playing him on.

"We learned about it in school. They have buildings made with snow and ice. I didn't know that there could be that much snow, but there is! I want to go there someday. Can we go, Mommy? Can we? Can we?" He said jumping in joy.

"Umm…" She uttered as she and her husband shared a look.

"Well I did just get a raise at work and we have been saving up." Her husband admitted.

"So you are saying we can go?" Mako ran up to his father's side.

"Sure son, but you have to promise me that you won't go melting all the igloos down there." He laughed as he patted his son's head.

"Yay, south pole!" Baby Bolin rejoiced.

Both Mako's mother and father giggled.

Mako smiled. "Yay! I'm going to go pack." He yelled as he ran out of the room.

"No Mako, wait for me. We still haven't even booked the trip." She yelled out to him. He didn't respond he was too excited to.

_-_-_-_-__(time gap)_

"Are we there yet? Mommy, Daddy, are we?"

They sighed in annoyance. "Yes Mako, we are almost there. Now can you please calm down for five minutes while I feed Bolin?"

Mako looked at his baby brother as he tried to grab his food out of his mother's hands. The toddler giggled.

"Mommy, can I feed Bolin?" He said in a calmer tone.

"Sure, Mako." She handed Mako Bolin's food and held the baby so that he faced his brother.

_-_-_-_-_-__(time gap)_

"Yay, we are finally here." Mako yelled as he ran off the boat. He took one look at the snow and jumped right into in face first. Mako's parents laughed at his excitement as they traveled along behind him and holding his brother.

"Come on, Mako, we have to check into the inn that we are staying at." Yelled his mother as she gestured him toward her.

"Okay!" He yelled, taking his head out of the frozen ground.

Mako looked at the scenery as they walked through the town. There were a few buildings for public use, while most buildings were small homes. The market place was nothing more than a few stands in a central location. The inn was on the far side of town. Mako sworn that, as they passed a few houses, he had seen a young girl playing with a polar bear dog pup, but he just thought he was seeing things. When they got to the inn, they felt relief from the extreme cold temperatures from the outside. It was much warmer in the inn than the outside. Mako didn't know how that was possible because there was no heating like they had in Republic City and he had only seen one fire burning. Mako, being a firebender, didn't mind the cold, especially since this was what he was excited for over the past few weeks. Mako took in the cold and wide open tundra as if it were a second home. All he wanted to do was run around, but instead he had to unpack.

* * *

"Lea, you have to go to sleep now." Korra exclaimed.

"But mommy, I'm not tired. I could stay up all night!" The young girl said as she jumped up and down on her bed.

"But sleeping is no fun."

"But you have to sleep."

"No."Lea said with a pout on her face and shaking her head.

"Okay, I guess I will just have to make you get into bed." She ran over to her daughter and grabbed her. She was tickling her daughter as she forced her to lay down on her bed. They were both laughing as they laid down. Lea then went into her bed.

"Mommy, can you tell me the story of when you first realized you were the avatar?"

"Sure, Honey." She laid down next to her daughter, holding he in her arms.

"I was about four years old at the time; yes I know I realized it at a very young age, but what can I say I was a very determined toddler." She laughed.

* * *

"Naga, where are you, girl? There aren't that many hiding places here. Where are you?"A smaller Korra yelled to her polar bear dog pup as she was trying to find her. "Where are you? You can't be far?"

She had been playing with Naga near some of their neighbors' homes. They had been out almost all day. Hide-n-seek was a common game that Korra and Naga used to play. She heard panting from the far side of an ice covered rock that was a few paces away from her. She crept up to the rock silently and peeked around the corner. She saw Naga scrunched up into a small white ball of fluff hiding behind the rock. While Naga was looking the other way Korra silently toddled over toward Naga and jumped on top of the unaware pup. Naga regained awareness and turned over the young girl on her back and stood on top of her. Naga licked her owner's face, Korra laughed in delight. Korra and Naga began rough housing each other until they faintly heard a voice calling for them. They stopped.

The voiced called out to them again. "Korra!" It was Korra's mom.

Korra got up and ran towards her mother with Naga running along the side of her. They ran up to their house to see her mother, Senna, waiting for them.

"Yeah, Ma?" The young toddler asked with her hand on her hip.

"Well I am going to the market and I was wondering if you wanted to come too." Senna exclaimed.

"Really? Yay! Okay I'll come." Korra said in delight.

"You can also take Naga." She said as she started walked in the direction of the market.

"Okay." Korra gestured toward Naga to come with them.


	2. Chapter 2

"There isn't much food in here." Mako's mother announced as she looked into the cabinets in their room at the inn. She turned around to see Mako standing by her feet and looking up at her.

"Can we go sightseeing now?" He asked with elation.

She stared blankly at the boy. "Well, I need to go to the market first to get food for dinner before we go see anything." She started to walk towards the door. She turned around. "Do you want to come with me?" She asked her son. Mako ran up to his mother in delight. "Uh uh, go get your coat." She pointed to his jacket on the coat rack. Mako ran to the coat rack and quickly threw on his red coat and ran out the door with his mother.

They walked down, through the town, to the market place. As they walked Mako was looking at everything in amazement.

"Hey mommy, look it's the blue covered people." He said pointing at the water tribe people.

"Don't point Mako, that's rude." She reprimanded. "They are the people of the water tribe and traditionally they wear blue to pay homage to their element, water." She told the boy.

"Is that why I wear red, mommy, because I'm a firebender?"

"Yes," she replied in delight. "That is also why I wear green. I might not be a bender but my family came from the Earth Kingdom and I have ties to that element, and your father has the same ties with the Fire Nation."

"Oh, okay, cool." They continued to walk toward the market.

The market place was busy. People were coming and going from all directions. There was an ice fountain in the middle of the market place. Mako and his mother walked over to the fountain.

"Okay Mako, I'm going to go grocery shopping for food at these stalls. I'll be awhile. Stay here. If you find some kids your age you can go play with them but be back here in an hour. Okay?"

Mako nodded. He sat down on the edge of the fountain and watched his mother walk to the food stall until she was out of sight. He swayed his feet back and forth and looked up at the sky. Clouds were covering the sky. Snow was coming. He heard yelling, cheering and laughing coming from the distance. He lifted his head to see the source of the sound. It was a group of young kids. They were a group of waterbenders. They were throwing water whips and ice shards at each other in a playful way. Mako got up to go meet them. He started walking in their direction. He was stopped when a snowball hit the side of his head. He turned around to find out where it came from and saw a young girl, around his age, standing there. She was dressed in blue like the other townsfolk and had one short pony tail and two short pigtails in her hair. Her eyes were as blue as the clothes she was wearing. Anger grew in the boy, but so did another feeling, he didn't know what it was. He thought the girl was pretty but that didn't stop him from being annoyed by what she had done. She stood there grinning at the boy like she felt some sort of accomplishment. He didn't even know this girl and she aggravated him so much. Mako was mad but didn't want to start any fights. He glanced back around to see that the other kids were gone. Now Mako was furious.

"Hey!" Mako yelled in aggravation. "What was that for?"He walked over to the girl.

"What?" She said innocently, still grinning.

"The snowball! Why did you throw a snowball at my head?"

"Oh that? It was for your own good." She said calmly.

"Well, you shouldn't throw snow at people. It's rude." He asserted with an attitude.

Suddenly, a young polar bear pup came out from behind the girl and growled at Mako.

"Naga, stop! Don't growl at him, he's our friend." The young girl told the pup.

"Friend?" Mako asked in confusion.

"Yeah, we are friends now, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I guess we are." He smiled.

"Cool." She replied with a smile.

The two kids sat back down next to each other on the edge of the fountain. Naga laid down on the ground by their feet.

* * *

"Okay Korra, wait here while I finish shopping. Play with Naga but stay here. I'll be back soon" Senna bend down to kiss her little girl on the forehead and walked away.

Korra plumped down on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the Market place. He mother and father would tell that this sculpture was to commemorate Master Katara's discovery of the Boy in the Iceberg. Korra faintly knew who Master Katara was. She only knew that she was a very powerful waterbending master but she had never known what or who the Boy in the Iceberg was. She guessed that he was important because he had a fountain that honored him in their town but she never really knew why. She turned away from the fountain and took some water from the snow. She bent it into a ball and tossed it from hand to hand.

She played with the ball for a bit until she lost control of the ball when she saw a boy on the far end of the fountain. His mother was talking to him and then she left him there. His back was toward Korra; he didn't see her. Korra stared at the boy. She figured that he wasn't from the water tribes due to his red colored jacket and paler skin. He turned his head so that Korra could see what the boy looked like. Korra's cheeks turned red but not from frostbite. Korra started to have a weird tingling feeling in her stomach and she didn't know why. Korra was caught in a trance, watching the boy, until she noticed what she was looking at.

He was looking at Karruk and his group of waterbenders. Korra hated them, especially Karruk, because they wouldn't let her join their group. Everyone knew that she was one of the most powerful waterbenders in her age group, but yet they wouldn't let her join them simply because she was a girl. Korra also suspected that they were jealous of her. The group hated Korra, too. Karruk convinced all the other kids of the water tribe to not like Korra either, making Naga her only friend. Korra didn't care, or at least didn't want to care. She had Naga, that's all she needed.

Korra saw the foreign boy stand up. He started walking toward Karruk's group of kids. Korra started to worry. She knew that Karruk did not really like outsiders or people who were different, and this boy was the definition of an outsider to Karruk. She didn't want this boy to be treated the same way she was, even if she didn't know him, but she didn't know how to stop him. Then instantly she remembered the ball of water she was playing with. She bent up a snow ball and threw it at the boy.

The boy's face grew red in anger. He looked at her. She smiled back at the boy, happy that she successively kept him away from those boys. The boy stood there watching Korra with resentment for a moment until he turned away. He turned to see if the group of boys was still there, but they were not. Korra was happy about that. The boy turned back at her and exploded. He started yelling at Korra but that didn't distract her from the feeling of accomplishment that she had won. The boy had asked why she threw the snowball but Korra could not admit why. If she did then he would know that she was watching him all along and would think that she was weird. She kept her answer vague and he didn't address why she had thrown it again. All he said was that it was rude and blah blah blah manners. Korra hadn't really liked manners and being polite. Her parents would always teacher her the polite, or right, way of doing things and yell at her when she didn't do things that way, but she continued to do things the way she wanted. After awhile her parents gave up trying to teach the girl manners if she wouldn't listen.

Naga heard the remark that the foreign boy made and felt like she needed to protect Korra. She moved in front of Korra and growled at the boy. Naga did that a lot, always trying to protect the girl. Most times she needed the protection but this time she didn't, she could handle herself. She told Naga it was okay and Naga backed off. She let it slip, while talking to Naga, in front of the boy that she thought her and the boy were friends. The boy was, naturally, surprised that she thought they were friends and questioned her in confusion. He didn't seem angry or anything, just confused. Korra was happy that he wasn't mad at the statement and asked him if he wanted to be her friend. He agreed and said that they were friends. She smiled at the thought that he was her first real human friend. She had and loved Naga but liked that now she had someone that she could talk to.


	3. Chapter 3

"Burr, it's so cold down here at the south pole. How do you handle to always live here when it's this cold?"

"Oh, well I don't know. We just learn to deal with it, I guess." She replied. Mako, then, lit up a flame in his hands for warmth. The girl watched in amazement. "Whoa, what was that? How did you do that?"

"What do this?" Mako conjured up another flame. The girl nodded. "It's just firebending. You don't have that here?"

"No just waterbending, but I want to try it." She declared. "How hard could it be?" she held out her hands, just as Mako had and pushed all of her energy into trying to create a flame.

"Hey, I don't think that is going to work-"Mako said until he was cut off from the sight of a flame growing in her hands. Mako's eyes widened at the surprise that this little girl could firebend like he could.

"This is so cool." She exclaimed. She stood up and bent another flame, throwing it off into the distance. "Wow, this is so fun!"

Mako watched as the girl danced with the flames in her hands and twirling around, surrounded with fire. He was speechless, he didn't think this girl could firebend but yet she was doing it right before his eyes. "You're crazy." He said to the girl with a smile.

"Thank you." She replied, grinning back. She stopped firebending and looked at Mako. "Hey, could you teach me some moves?"

"I don't know." He replied in a hesitant tone.

"Please." She begged.

"Okay, fine. I just have to remember what my teacher taught me first." He stood up beside her. He distanced his two feet with his left in front, bent his knees, and held his fists at the sides of the top of his hips. "Okay, see how I'm standing? Copy this stance." The girl abided to his command. She stood there, next to him, watching him, waiting for the next part of his lesson. "Now watch what I am doing and copy me." He lifted his hands in front of his face. He punched the air in front of him and threw a fire ball in that same direction. The girl watched and copied. She threw the punch and watched as the flames escaped her hand and shot out in front of her. They relaxed their stances and sat back down on the fountain.

"So, where did you learn all of these tricks?" She asked.

"I just started going to a bending school back at home."

"Where is home?"

"Oh, I live in Republic City. It's really far from here."

"Oh, so I'm guessing you are just here for a little while?" She lowered her head as she asked Mako. He could see that she was a little different than before, sort of sadder.

"Yeah, we are only here for a week."

"Oh." She replied. "Tell me about republic city, is it like here?"She said while hiding her sadness.

"No, not at all. For one thing, Republic City is much warmer and doesn't have this much snow and there is a lot more buildings and stuff. The buildings are taller are not made of snow."

"Republic City seems really cool. I want to go there someday."

"You can visit me!" He blurted in excitement.

"Really?" Her spirits lightened.

"Yeah, anytime you are in Republic City you have to see me. That's what friends do." He smiled toward the girl.

"Yeah, that's what friends do." She smiled back.

* * *

Korra sat next to her new friend on the fountain. He was complaining about the cold weather and asked why she wasn't freezing. Korra was used to the coldness; she was in it her entire life, unlike the foreigner. Suddenly a flame popped up in the boys hands. Korra's eyes widened, she had never seen anything like it. How was he able to create fire out of thin air when her parents needed special rocks to make fire? She asked the boy what he was doing and he said he was firebending. Korra had never seen firebending or a firebender before, the only type of bending she had seen was waterbending. She watched the boy make flames in his hands and she thought about it. What makes firebending so different than waterbending besides the actual element? It looked easy to her; she believed that she could do it, too. All she had to do was try to bend fire not water. The boy doubted her when he said that she couldn't do it but she was going to prove him wrong. She forged all of her energy into trying to bend the fire in her hands, and as simple as waterbending she was firebending. She watched as the flame danced in her hands. The heat radiated so that she could feel it all over her body. She was amazed by her new found talent. They boy stood there in shock while she basked in the accomplishment that she had won, yet again.

She stopped playing with the fire. She realized that if this boy could make a flame then he knew much more moves of firebending. Since he knew so much more than her, she pleaded from him to teach her. He was reluctant but eventually Korra convinced him. He taught her how to make a stance and showed her one moved. She watched the boy as he punched fire in the shape of a ball into the air, shooting in front of him. Korra felt the heat as it passed the two children. She believed that she could do that. She copied what the boy had done. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and threw the punch. Her eyes opened to see the fire evading from her hand. Korra couldn't believe that she was a firebender. They stopped the training and sat back down. Korra liked how this boy knew so much about firebending. He had said that he learned all of this at a school back where he lived. Korra remembered that this boy didn't live here in the South Pole and regretted to think that he wasn't going to stay long. She asked where he was from and he said he lived in Republic City. Korra didn't know where that was but when he said it was far from here she realized that the only friend, human friend, she had would be gone. As much as she didn't want to know, she asked the boy how long he would be staying. He said a week. "A week," those two words rung through Korra's thoughts over and over again. She only had a week with her new friend. She was getting sadder but she didn't want the boy to notice this, so she distracted herself by asking the boy about where he lived. He told her about the city in which he lived. She started to like the place by his description. When the boy said that she could visit him anytime she came to Republic City the sadness had disappeared. She realized that even though the boy was leaving in a week she wasn't going to lose him forever. She could go see him when she visited and he could visit again, right? She smiled when the boy said they were friends and visiting each other is what friends do. She was about to hug her friend when her mother called her.

"Korra!" Senna yelled.

Naga, who was sleeping the entire time, shot up. "I'm coming mommy!" Korra yelled in response.

"I guess I will see you later?" He asked

"Yeah." She smiled as she got up and started walking toward her mother and turned around to the boy. "I had a lot of fun today, I'll see you later, friend." She turned back and ran with Naga to her mother. She got to her mother. "Hey mommy, guess what I learned today?"

"What, honey?" Senna asked.

Korra held out her hand and conjured up a flame of fire. Senna stared at the flame as her jaw dropped. She was genuinely shocked and frozen in her place. "Oh wait I totally forgot. I'll be right back, ma." Korra ran back to the fountain, leaving her still frozen in place mother behind. As she ran to the fountain she yelled to the boy. "Hey, I forgot to ask you, what is your name?"

She stood there waiting for a response but no one was there. The boy had left. She was all alone at the fountain. Not a soul was near. The boy was gone, making her the only one around. She walked back to her mother and Naga with her head down. Her mother had snapped out of her shock and guided Korra back to their house.

"Korra, I can't wait to show your father your new found talent. He will be so proud of you, because I am."

Korra followed her mother. All she could think about was the boy she had just met so fast and how she had lost him so fast. She lost her only chance she had for a real friend. A single tear fell from the child's eye. She looked down to see Naga smiling up to her. Korra smiled back. She still had her best friend, Naga, and nothing would change that.

* * *

"…Then about three months later the White Lotus came to see if I was really the avatar and put me in the compound for my training." Korra told her daughter.

"So, Mommy, did you ever see that boy again?" Lea asked.

"No, honey, I didn't."

"Were you sad about it?"

"I was for a little bit but then I got distracted with avatar duties and training to worry about it; and for all I know the boy could have been just a figment of my imagination. Like I said in the story I didn't have that many friends as a young child, so I probably imagined him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, honey." Korra said as she got up out of her daughter's bed and kissed her daughter on the forehead. She turned around to leave the room. "I'm going to see if your father is done putting your sister to bed."

"Mommy," Lea called out.

Korra turned around. "I still think he's real." She said faintly as Korra watched her daughter's bright blue eyes close into a deep sleep. Korra smiled.

"Good night, Lea." She said as she turned off the light and walked out of the room and down the hall to where her husband is.

* * *

Mako watched the young girl smile at the fact that they were friends. He could see that she was going to hug him but then she stopped. He heard a lady's voice call a name, but he faintly heard it and couldn't figure out what the exact name was. The young girl beside him responded to the voice. She got up. He asked her if they would see each other again. She smiled back and told him that they would see each other again. She turned away and ran to her mother. Mako smiled; he couldn't wait until they met again. Mako, then, heard another voice, but this time the voice was calling to him. It was his mother. He ran up to her. She was carrying a huge amount of bags.

"So Mako, did you make any friends today?" She asked.

"Yeah mommy, I did." He smiled as they walked back to the inn.

"You know, I met the most delightful woman and the food stall today. I forgot to get her name, I think it was Senna, but she has a daughter that is just a year younger then you.

"Oh, okay." Mako said, as he only thought about the girl, his new friend that he had just met. He had hoped that they would meet again, if not in that trip then another one. He knew, deep down, that someday the two would meet again.

* * *

"So, daddy, did you ever meet that girl again?" Kari asked.

"Well, not on that trip."

"Did you ever see the girl again?"

"Yes once." Mako told his daughter. "I finally met her again about thirteen years later at one of my probending matches."

"Did you notice it was her at first?"

"No, I didn't and when I found out I felt like an idiot. She even called me out on that." He smiled.

Kari laughed. "So what did she do? Like how did you two meet?"

"Well it's sort of a funny story but, she snuck into the arena and she was just about to get caught before Uncle Bolin saved her and brought her to the room where we got ready before games." He paused. "Okay, I let you stay up long enough. Now it is time for bed." He stood up and walked over to the lights.

"Daddy, isn't the way that you met this girl the same way you met mom?"

"I guess it is."

"That's a weird coincidence." Kari murmured as she started to fall asleep.

"Yeah, weird coincidence." Mako smiled.

"Do you think she remembers?"

"What?" Mako asked the girl.

"Do you think mom remembers meeting you all those years ago in the South Pole?"

"No, she doesn't, sweetie, Good night." He turned off the light and walked out of the room.

"Oh my, Korra, you almost startled me there." He said as he almost bumped her.

"What, you're afraid of your wife now?" Korra smirked with her hand on her hip.

He laughed. "I always am." He admitted jokingly.

She laughed back. "Good." They walked together towards their bedroom. "You know, the story Lea asked me to tell brought back some really old memories.

"Same thing from me with the story I told Kari. What did Lea ask you?"

"Oh, just the story about when I first realized that I was the avatar. What about you?"

Mako grinned. "Kari asked to hear the story of when I went to the South Pole for the first time as a kid."

"You went to the South Pole as a kid?"

"Yeah, you should know that."

"Wait, why should I know that?" Korra voiced in confusion.

The two heard the baby crying from the other room. "That's Ryo. I'll take care of him this time." He walked down the hallway leaving Korra behind.

"Mako, don't avoid this. You better tell me why I should know it, or else!" She yelled to her husband as he walked away grinning.


End file.
